Our top five UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Spain

With more than 40 places declared World Heritage by UNESCO, Spain occupies the third place of the podium in this classification behind China and Italy. Here is a summary of our top 5, of course, you should visit all those sites, not only this top five!

The Alhambra

Located in Granada, Andalusia, it was one of the first places declared a World Heritage Site in Spain. This palace was an Islamic Palatine city that belonged to the Nazari Kingdom. This kingdom occupied part of the south of Spain during almost all the Average Age until the Catholic kings culminated with the reconquest in 1492. Due to the great influx of visitors, the accesses to the Alhambra are limited, that is why it is recommended to book in advance. The ticket price is € 14.

The works of the architect Antoni Gaudí

The Sagrada Familia, Palau Güell, Casa Milà, Casa Batlló, Parc Güell and much more have been awarded the distinction of UNESCO. Barcelona is the city that houses the largest number of works by the Catalan architect, although you can also find some outside Catalonia such as Casa Botines de León, Castilla y León, or El Capricho de Comillas, Cantabria. Check this beautiful picture of the pilasters of the Sagrada Familia,… like trees in the forest.

The Escorial

Located a little more than 50km from Madrid by car, this monastery was built by Philip II (16th century) to bury the remains of his father, Charles V. The complex has several buildings that have served as the royal residence, Crafts and hospital workshops. In addition, it has a library containing more than 40,000 books among which are Latin codices, Arabic, Hebrew and Greek manuscripts. El Escorial is open from 10 to 6 in the afternoon from October to March, and from 10 to 8 in the afternoon from April to September. Admission costs € 10.

Historic Centre of Cordoba

One of the main cities of Andalusia, Cordoba has one of the most beautiful centres of the whole peninsula. The cathedral mosque is the most emblematic place of the city and an example of the different cultures that have inhabited in Spain throughout the centuries. In addition, right next to it is the Roman bridge, the Synagogue, the San Basilio neighbourhood, the Fortaleza Tower or the “Alcázar de Los Reyes Cristianos”. Most of these places open from 9 or 10 in the morning, and close between 3 and 8 in the afternoon, depending on the site and the time of year. Ticket prices range from € 4 to € 10.

Santiago de Compostela

The capital of Galicia, apart from hosting the end of the road to Santiago and which has recently been declared a World Heritage Site, has been a place of pilgrimage throughout the centuries and symbol of Christianity in Spain. In addition, its old town is one of the most beautiful urban areas of Europe with its Plaza del Obradoiro as its epicentre. The old town is very easy to walk and you can also eat some of the best Galician food delicatessens such as the Galician octopus.

Read more and find all the sites on our page: “10 reasons why you should buy in Spain” at the point 10.

Are you looking to book holidays in Spain? Read our interesting paper on that: Our best ideas for planning your holidays in Spain! Our top 2017 papers!

Enjoy those with the whole family, the howtobuyinSpain.com team!

Looking for an expert in Spain? Ask us directly!

Stéphane

Senior analyst and strategist at HTBIS

Check the full HTBIS team here

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The Ministry of development has released its Statistic of the residential real estate prices in Spain.

The average price per m² stood at 1,526 euros in the first quarter of 2017.

• An increase of 2.2% year-on-year and 0.9% on a quarterly basis
• It is the eighth consecutive quarter with annual growth of prices after 26 quarters of year-on-year drop in housing prices,
• The number of property transactions increased 6.5% in Annual terms
• After inflation, the housing price experienced a small drop of -0.5%,

Evolution by Autonomous Communities

• 11 of them presented a Year-on-year growth: with Catalonia standing out (5.4%), Madrid (4.9%), Ceuta and Melilla (4.2%), Canary Islands (3.9%), Cantabria (3.0%) and Navarre (2.6%).
• 7 communities still showed Year-on-year decreases: the most notable being Extremadura (-2.3%), Asturias (-1.7%), Aragon (-1.5%) and Murcia (-1.5%).

Have a look at our interactive map of real estate price evolution over the last year for all the Spanish Autonomous Communities at the top of our home page.

Evolution since highs of 2008

According to the historical series of this statistic, the average value per m² In the first quarter of 2017 was 27.4% lower than that of the level reached in the first quarter of 2008. In real terms (taking into account the Variation of the CPI), the current price reflects a fall of 32.7%. Since the third quarter of 2014, the price has recovered 4.8%.

Evolution of prices by age of the properties

The average value of the square meter less than five years old properties stood at 1,781.2 euros in the first quarter of 2017. This represents a year-on-year growth of 3.1%.

With regard to properties of more than five-year-old, the price reached 1,517.6 euros per square meter, a rise of 2.1% year-on-year.

Evolution of prices by cities

For municipalities with more than 25,000 inhabitants, the highest prices of private housing were presented at

• San Sebastian, 3286.0 euros / m²,
• Sant Cugat del Valles, 2875.8 euros / m²,
• Barcelona, 2851.5 euros / m²,
• Getxo, 2762.6 euros / m²,
• Santa Eulalia del Rio, 2747.3 euros / m²,
• Ibiza, 2713.5 euros / m²,
• Pozuelo de Alarcón, 2659.1 euros / m²
• Madrid, 0 euros / m².

The lowest prices in municipalities with more than 25,000 inhabitants are recorded in

• Elda, 520.0 euros / m²,
• Jumilla, 575.2 euros / m²,
• Ontinyent,581.1 euros / m²,
• Novelda, 585.8 euros / m²,
• Villarrobledo, 593.4 Euro / m²
• Alcoy, 608.5 euros / m².

The number of real estate transactions used to perform the calculation of housing prices in the first quarter of 2017 was 117,339, which is 6.5% more than in the same quarter of last year.

If you want to keep an eye on the trends of the real estate market in Spain:

• Have a look at our table of the Spanish Real estate prices and transactions from our Trend section.
• Have a look at our table of the Spanish Real estate prices per region from our Trend section.

Do you want to know 10+ reasons why you should buy in Spain? Read our full paper.

Do you want to have a more precise view on real estate price evolutions in Spain? Check our trend section.

Are you serious about Spain? Read our 8 legal steps to your Spanish property.

Source: Ministerio de Fomento

Looking for an expert in Spain? Ask us directly!

Stéphane

Senior analyst and strategist at HTBIS

Check the full HTBIS team here

The post Spanish property prices up 4,8% since the bottom of Q4 2014. Still down 27.4% since 2008 appeared first on How to buy in Spain.

Sareb launches a new edition of its “Casas de Estreno” campaign and put 3716 properties on the market

The campaign data are the following:

• They will sell 3716
• It will last 3 months
• Properties are: Apartments & single-family homes
• It is spread over 16 autonomous communities: Andalusia, Aragon, Asturias, Baleares, Canarias, Cantabria, Castilla y León, Castilla-La Mancha, Catalonia, Comunidad de Madrid, Comunidad Valenciana, Extremadura, Galicia, La Rioja, Murcia and Navarra.
• 650 properties located in the Mediterranean arc
• Prices will range from 17,700 euros for a flat in Sayago (Zamora) to 394,417 euros for a 220 square meter villa in Das (Girona).

Distribution in the regions with the highest concentration of assets:

• the Region of Valencia is the region with the largest offer, with 816 units for sale. Alicante is the first region by the number of assets in the Community (359) and also hosts the cheapest in this community: a promotion of four tourist apartments in Mutxamel, each available for 26,300 euros.
• Castilla-La Mancha is the second region by a number of assets on sale this campaign.Of the 666 units offered, half are located in Toledo. The most economic price of this region is in Burujón (Toledo) and corresponds to a floor of 63 square meters.
• Andalusia contributes 537 homes to the commercial initiative of Sareb.Almería is the province that has a greater offer (201). It is also where the most economic asset of the region is found. A promotion of El Ejido has a floor of 62 square meters and a room, which goes to the market for 30,000 euros.
• In Castilla y León are located 474 homes.Half of the offer is concentrated in Valladolid, due to a large promotion in Arroyo de la Encomienda. Meanwhile, in Sayago, Zamora province, the cheapest apartment of the entire campaign (17,700 euros) is located.
• Murcia has an offer of 244 homes, with prices ranging from 33,000 euros for a flat in Torre Pacheco to 269,000 euros for a home in Murcia capital.
• Of the total of 227 homes that go on sale in Galicia, 80% are distributed between A Coruña and Pontevedra.
• The provinces of Gerona, Barcelona and Tarragona are almost equally distributed almost all of the 168 assets located in Catalonia that enter the Sareb campaign.
• Cantabria has 141 homes priced between 50,500 euros for a one-bedroom apartment in the municipality of Solares and about 316,897 euros for a three-family single-family residence in Ribamontán al Mar.
• Badajoz concentrates most of the 100 homes that go on sale in Extremadura, due to the completion of major developments in the city of Badajoz, Alange and Mérida.
• Of the 66 homes that go to the market in Madrid, the most economical is an apartment in Villalbilla that reaches a price of 58,000 euros.The most expensive is a four-storey townhouse in Colmenar Viejo, which is marketed for 339,006 euros.
• In Aragon, there are 90 homes for sale, of which two-thirds are concentrated in a single residential development in Calatayud (Zaragoza), which also offers the most economical price of assets traded in the region: 67,300 euros for a two-room flat.
• The cheapest housing of the 81 that go on sale in La Rioja is a flat of 44 square meters in Villamediana de Iregua, which is priced at 32,068 euros.The most expensive is a three bedroom apartment in Calahorra, for 171,300 euros.
• A flat of 43 square meters in Oviedo – whose price stands at 65,800 euros – is located as the most economical housing of the 65 that are located in Asturias.On the other side, there are single-family houses in the municipality of Noriega with a price of 242,000 euros.
• Almost all the homes that go to the market in the Canary Islands (28) are in a promotion of San Nicolás de Tolentino (Las Palmas), whose prices range from 33,000 to 80,000 euros.In Santa Cruz de Tenerife you can find 11 apartments, among which is the most expensive asset of those that go on sale in the Islands: 100,000 euros for a two bedroom apartment in the Las Rosas – Las Galletas area.

The details of all the houses included in the commercial initiative are available at www.SarebCasasDeEstreno.es. In this website, it is possible to consult the characteristics of each asset, its location and how to obtain more information.

The sale of the properties is carried out through Altamira Asset Management, Haya Real Estate, Servihabitat and Solvia, the four servicers in charge of management and commercialization of the assets of Sareb.

Have a look at our post listing all the bank portals listing bank properties for sale in Spain and here is our page of all those Spanish real estate bank portals.

Don’t forget, another big positive with those properties are that most of the time you can have a mortgage up to 100% of the value! Not bad.

For financial investors, here is how you could invest on Spanish bank repossessions without buying any yourself: “Are Spanish bank repossessions a good investment opportunity?”

Read the full press release in Spanish here.

Looking for an expert in Spain? Ask us directly!

Stéphane

Senior Analyst and Strategist at HTBIS

Check the full HTBIS team here

The post Sareb launches a new “Casas de estreno” campaign with 3716 properties on the market appeared first on How to buy in Spain.

A yearly growth rate of 26.9%

The”Instituto Nacional de Estadistica” just released the last number of transactions for the month of March 2017, it is 40 461. Compared to March 2016, it is an annual increase of 26.9%.

Aragon, Asturias, Cantabria, La Rioja benefit from growth rate higher than 40%

All regions benefit from strong growth rate apart from Extremadura which is having a smaller growth of 11%

Andalusia, Catalonia, Madrid and the Valencian Community

The four biggest regions in terms of transactions are:

1. Andalusia with 7976 transactions and a yearly change of +28%
2. Catalonia with 6832 transactions and a yearly change of +32%
3. The Valencian Community with 5854 transactions and a yearly change of 38%
4. Madrid with 5684 transactions and a yearly change of 15%

With no surprises, the four biggest regions in term of transactions are Andalusia, Catalonia, Madrid and the Valencian Community. The number of transactions for those top regions in Spain is higher than 5000. Andalusia and Catalonia represent 20% and 17% of the transactions. Madrid and the Valencian Community represent each 14% of the transactions. It is interesting to compare this with our infographics on where the foreigners are buying real estate in Spain, you will find that Andalusia is the second biggest area for foreigners while the Valencian Community is the biggest region and Catalonia is the third.

Foreigners are active as well with 17% of the transactions in 2016. Have a look at the transaction history in Spain for both Spaniards and Foreigners:

History of Real estate transactions in Spain, Spaniards and Foreigners

Yearly data. Source: Ministerio de Fomento

Check our full report on Why should you buy a property in Spain in 2017?

Source: Instituto Nacional de Estadistica

Looking for an expert in Spain? Ask us directly!

Stéphane

Senior analyst and strategist at HTBIS

Check the full HTBIS team here

The post 26.9% growth rate on the Spanish property market in March 2017 appeared first on How to buy in Spain.

Spanish Government will help young people for buying real estate from 2018

The Minister of Development, Íñigo de la Serna, has announced a new aid package for young people under 35 years who want to access a home starting 2018.

Here are the details on the project pending approval:

1. For both purchasing or renting a home
2. For people under 35 years
3. Starting in 2018
4. An aid of up to 10,800 euros.

Among the conditions:

1. The aid must not exceed 20% of the total price of the apartment
2. an annual salary that does not exceed 22,365.42 euros a year
3. not already the owner of a house
4. if rental, the aid will cover maximum 40% of the monthly rent (which should be of 900 euros maximum per month)
5. a maximum aid of 2400 euros per year per household

This aid to buy or rent a house for young people would be available in all the Autonomous Communities of Spain, as it is a Housing Plan sponsored by the Ministry of Development. Thus, it should be available in Andalusia, Aragon, Asturias, Cantabria, Castilla la Mancha, Castile and Leon, Catalonia, Ceuta, Extremadura, Galicia, Balearic Islands, Canary Islands, La Rioja, Madrid, Melilla, Murcia, Navarre, Basque Country And Comunidad Valenciana.

Find the official press release here.

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